Seattle Pilates

Last week we reviewed some tips for creating ergonomic workspaces and the associated somatic benefits. This week’s blog post is inspired from another Washington Post Article that suggests certain foods that boost brain-power. In addition to making sure you are moving throughout your workday, aslo making sure you fuel your body with foods that provide mental clarity as opposed to fog can create a healthier and less stressful workplace experience.

Sugar and caffeine, which of course are the two things you are most likely to reach for when you are feeling stuck in a rut. Remember these two foods may help very temporarily, but the crash following will leave you feeling worse off than before.

This Washington Post Article provides some great tips for easily creating a more ergonomic work space. Generally, the primary benefit of an ergonomic work environment is that it assists workers in correcting posture which prevents the types of aches pains which tend to nag people, such as neck, back, shoulder, and hip pain. In conjunction with reduced aches and pains, improved posture also facilitates more biomechanical efficiency.

“One of the things that separates elite athletes from the rest of us is that they move efficiently, Fidler says. Top athletes can generate twice the force with the same body. Or they might use half the energy to stand up straight. In other words, they can use the remaining energy for the task at hand, such as winning an NBA title.”

Achieving postural integrity and biomechanical efficiency are two of the core tenets of Pilates. In addition to a Pilates class, You can check their website and try these tips for creating a more ergonomic work environment:

Sit/lean back in chair, remind yourself to maintain a lumbar curve.

Keyboard placement should allow for straight wrists and elbow at sides while typing

Place monitor so that it allows good neck posture, not too high, not too low, straight ahead. Hint, most laptops sit too low, shortening the anterior neck muscles and lengthening the posterior neck muscles.

In my previous post there was brief mention of agonist versus stabilizing muscles. When referring to agonist and stabilizing muscles we are referring to the type of action the muscle performs. When it comes to this level of functionality, there are five primary roles that are referred to:

Agonist

Accessory

Antagonist

Stabilizer

Neutralizer

Agonist

Agonists are the primary muscles responsible for movement via isotonic or isometric concentric contractions. Isotonic contractions create a movement, isometric contractions maintain a position. A concentric contractions refers to a muscle that is producing power as it’s fibers shorten versus eccentric contractions where a muscle produces power as it’s fibers lengthen.

Example: The hamstring isotonically and concentrically contracts to flex the knee joint.

Accessory

Accessory muscles assist agonist muscles.

Example: The quadricep is an agonist knee extensor and an accessory hip flexor.

Antagonist

Antagonist perform the opposite action of the agonist.

Example: If the hamstring is the agonist for knee flexion, it acts antagonistically to the quadricep as it eccentrically slow down knee extension. Think about what it feels like to slowly rise up from a squat.

Stabilizer

Stabilizers prevent movement of a joint, usually via an isometric contraction

Example: the quadriceps may stabilize the knee in an extended position of permit plantar flexion of the ankle. While standing, rise up on to your tippy toes, do you feel how your quadriceps work to stabilize your knees.

Neutralizer

Neutralizers prevent a motion, so another specific motion can occur. Unlike stabilizing muscles which act on joints, neutralizers act of other muscles.

The example found at http://www.JointHealthGuide.org is fundamentally important: The biceps can flex the elbow and supinate the forearm. If only elbow flexion is wanted, the supination component must be ruled out. Therefore, the pronator teres, which pronates the forearm, would contract to counteract the supination component of the biceps, and only elbow flexion would occur. Neutralizers act to cancel out an unwanted movement. Try doing some biceps curls in your palms facing up versus facing down, notice the difference.

Stabilizers and Neutralizers both use co-contraction to prevent motion and have an antagonistic relationship.

“I read an article several months ago where a few celebrity trainers were spouting off about workouts that they hated. Pilates made the list with one trainer even claiming that most Pilates teachers wouldn’t be able to handle the monkey bars. Well, as a physical therapist and Pilates teacher, I’d wager that he’d probably have difficulty handling my resistance bands and 1 pound weights because I can pinpoint someone’s weak-spots pretty quickly, but that’s besides the point.” (Wells, 2016)

According to the World Health Organization the lifetime prevalence of low back pain is 60-70%. This is significant. Unfortunately, for too many people the first intervention for back pain are NSAIDs. While these drugs may help temporarily, they do little to address the underlying issues that cause back pain. A Sunday Times article recently reviewed a study that suggests that the most effective treatments for back pain are exercise and psychological therapy, with exercise being used to treat the underlying condition and psychological therapy used to assist with pain management.

“Anti-inflammatory pills such as ibuprofen are widely used as a first choice for patients with lower back pain. However, scientists found that they made so little difference that most people would not notice the effect. Exercise is usually recommended instead, which for some patients could include Pilates, yoga or stretching.”

Those of you who have taken Pilates at Bodytonic are use to receiving lots of cueing for Trasversus Abdominis (TVA). TVA is the most frequently referred to “core muscle”. BTP students know that TVA wraps laterally around ones abdomen from the bottom of the ribcage to the crest of the pelvis and that it works to stabilize the spine by compressing the abdomen and also aids in forced expiration. For some, this description “clicks” quickly, but for those of you who would like a more thorough description with visual aids, here is video that may help:

“Exercise in intense bursts at 80 to 95 percent of your max, interspersed with recovery pauses to allow your heart rate to return to normal.”

“Aim to exercise five times a week with one day reserved for high intensity cardio (at least 45 minutes).”

“Your exercise regimen should also include balance and flexibility training.”

40s

“Continue training with weights three to four times a week, and up the cardio to five times a week, reserving one day for rest.”

“In terms of strength training, remember quality over quantity. Focus on doing the movements slowly and with control.”

“Maintaining or improving flexibility will be crucial in the years ahead.”

50s

“Focus on saving your back by strengthening your core muscles and keeping good posture. Yoga and Pilates are helpful for both.”

“You will also need additional recovery time after a hard workout and a dose of supplements (click over here for details about the latter), so go easy — aim to exercise more frequently but with a moderate level of intensity.”

“Ideally, get in a half-hour of cardio every day.”

60s

“Weight training is a must, ideally three times a week, alternating between upper and lower body muscle groups and using light weights.”

Check out this fun vintage video of a Wunda Chair demonstration. One of the most interesting things to note when watching vintage videos is how exercises have changed over the years in accordance with our knowledge of human biomechanics.